


Raising a dark lord

by Fantasticoncer



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Flashbacks, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Loss of Parent(s), Mother-Son Relationship, Movie 2: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Spoilers, Out of Character, Post-Movie 2: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Single Parents, Survivor Guilt, Young Tom Riddle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2019-10-26 14:10:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17747342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasticoncer/pseuds/Fantasticoncer
Summary: After her father is killed by Grindelwald, Evelyn Graves flees to England and has to take up another challenge: raising Tom Marvolo Riddle





	1. A new beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

The aurors that broke into their director's home came across a heartbreaking sight: 20 year old Evelyn Graves clutching her father's dead body to her chest in the basement, tears rolling over her cheeks. She looked up at the aurors and simply asked one question: "where were you?" It turned out that Grindelwald had kept her under the Imperius Curse, which was lifted at his arrest, but it had been too late to save her father. The aurors all lowered their heads in guilt at the question. 

The funeral was held several days later and almost everyone from MACUSA attended. A lot of people offered their condolences to Evelyn and she just nodded in answer. The witch didn't show any emotion during the funeral, even when she walked up to the casket for a final goodbye. She stroked the wood and showed the barest of smiles. "Goodbye, father." She whispered, kissing the casket, before resuming her place. The casket was slowly lowered into the ground. 

Evelyn waved off any offerings to bring her home, saying that she would be fine. She apparated towards the Graves mansion and walked inside, closing the door behind her. The second that she heard the click of the door shutting, the witch broke down. She put her hand against her mouth and started to sob, collapsing on the ground. Tears fell in a never-ending steam as waves of grief threatened to overwhelm her. 

It took at least an hour, before the young witch felt like she couldn't cry any more tears. Looking around the hallway, she knew that she couldn't stay here. It hurt too much at the moment to stay in her childhood home, where she and her father had been terrorised and tortured respectively. Grindelwald had threatened to torture her as well, if her father didn't co-operate. Her father had betrayed MACUSA and the magical society, just to keep her safe. 

The next day, Evelyn went to Gringotts to see what her options were. The goblins let the will be read out and it turned out that her father had left her pretty much everything that he possessed. Hearing her father's voice saying that he loved her and was proud of her made Evelyn smile with tears rolling down her cheeks. The Graves family owned several estates around the world, despite being an American wizarding family, so Evelyn could pick her new home. 

She decided for the one in Scotland, close to Hogwarts school of Wtchcraft and Wizardry. For several galleons, the goblins sent someone to update and strengthen the wards around the house and within a few days, it was ready to be lived in. Evelyn wrote a letter to the president, which would be delivered the day after she moved. The letter said that she needed some time to herself to grieve and mourn and that she would probably be back in a few years. 

With that settled and the utterly necessary things, like clothes and a few childhood trinkets, packed in a magically expendable suitcase, Evelyn tapped a certain stone that was within the house and that would lock the wards down and keep the house in stasis, until either she or any of her descendants entered the house again.The charm would go in effect, as soon as Evelyn left the grounds.

The witch took her time walking through the house. She had already magically put her father's things in the attic for her to look at, once it didn't hurt so much anymore. She said a silent goodbye to all the memories that this house had, not knowing if she would ever return. Standing in the hallway to the living room, Evelyn took a deep breath, before apparating to the bank for the portkey, feeling the wards activate on her way out.

The goblins greeted her solemnly and gave her the portkey, saying that she was more than welcome in their branch in London. The Graves had been long-time allies with the goblins and the creatures were angry at Grindelwald for what he had done. They had special teams looking out for him to bring him to justice and they didn't care if that justice was human or goblin. Evelyn nodded at them, before grabbing the portkey and disappearing 

Landing in the London establishment, Evelyn was greeted by the goblins once again, before being given another portkey to her new house. Arriving there, Evelyn looked around in distaste. It was clear that there hadn't been anyone living in this house for a while. The decoration was stuck in the mid-1800s. She jumped at hearing a pop nearby. "A new mistress! Mippy be so happy!" The small creature squeaked, before hugging the witch around the waist. Evelyn looked at her in shock. "Since when does my family have a house elf?" She asked out loud.

The small creature looked up at her. "Since a long time, mistress." She answered, before letting go and jumping up and down. "Be there any other masters or mistresses that Mippy can serve?" She asked and Evelyn's face fell. "I'm afraid that I'm the only one, Mippy. I'm sorry." She said. Mippy looked sad for a second, before looking into the witch's eyes and apparently seeing the pain in them, as she hugged Evelyn again.

"Mippy take care of you now." She said determinedly and Evelyn smiled sadly for a few seconds, before hugging the elf back. The first order that Evelyn gave Mippy was to update the interior of the house a bit and the house elf obeyed. Soon enough, the house looked a lot more liveable. In that time, Evelyn went to the magical school to see if they had a job for her.

She was in luck, as they needed a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, since the current teacher: Albus Dumbledore, was going to start teaching Transfiguration in the next year. Dumbledore, who was an old friend of Grindelwald and had heard of what happened in New York, approached Evelyn and offered his sincere apologies for what his former friend had done. Evelyn simply nodded at his words, but didn't say anything.

The next school year, professor Evelyn Graves was introduced and quickly caused a lot of whispering amongst the students. For the next three years, Evelyn, buried herself into her work, trying to forget about her grief. There was one thing stopping her from succeeding: Mippy, the motherly house elf. The creature refused to let her mistress lock her feelings away, threatening to summon a mind healer, if she didn't start mourning properly and did something with her time. 

Evelyn wondered what she was supposed to do, until she read about an orphanage in the newspaper. Now 23 years old, Evelyn wondered if maybe adopting a child would do her good. She told Mippy and the house elf was instantly enthusiastic, which resulted in the witch standing in front of Wool's orphanage in London on a rainy day. The matron greeted her and led her around. The children all looked lovely and sweet. Evelyn wondered how she was supposed to only adopt one. 

It wasn't until then, that she noticed a three year old boy standing in a corner. Children avoided him as if he was dangerous. Carefully approaching him, Evelyn kneeled down in front of him. "Hello there. My name is Evelyn. What is yours?" She asked. The boy replied that his name was Tom. Shaking his hand, Evelyn felt a shock going through her that told her that the boy in front of her was a wizard.

Looking into his eyes, she could see that something was wrong, but she didn't know what. Making up her mind, Evelyn walked to the matron and said that she wanted to adopt little Tom. The matron was shocked, but quickly agreed, providing the necessary paperwork for now. Signing it and getting the few personal belongings and a file with Tom's information, Evelyn carefully lifted the boy up and started to walk out.

She sighed at hearing the whispers about how they were glad that he was going. She felt Tom tightening his grip and hushed him. "It's okay, sweetie. You won't ever have to come back here. I promise." She said, while walking out of the door. The first order of business was visiting gringotts for a magical examination. Something was wrong with her son and she wanted to know what. She held the boy tightly and counted to three, before disappearing to Diagon Alley 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a chapter to see if this is anything. 
> 
> Read and review. See you next timel


	2. Gringotts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn goes to the goblins for help

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise .

Evelyn landed right outside of the bank and immediately rubbed her new son's back. "What was that?" The young boy asked. Evelyn smiled. "That was apparating. Every witch and wizard can do that. You will be able to do it too, once you're old enough." She said, while walking into the bank. Dark brown eyes looked up at her. "I'm a wizard?" He asked and Evelyn nodded, before asking the nearest goblin if she could speak to her account manager. 

Gnartooth was a fierce-looking goblin, but he welcomed the two as warmly as a goblin could. Evelyn asked for both an heritage test and a magical examination of her son and the goblin agreed, having the witch sign a contract that allowed him to get the right amount of gold from her vault as payment. The heritage test went first, while the examination room was being set up. 

It turned out that Tom was the descendant of Salazar Slytherin through his biological mother. His paternal side was muggle or No-Maj. Gnartooth gave Evelyn a paper that told the story about how Merope Gaunt had eloped with a rich muggle, who was also named Tom Riddle. No one exactly knew what happened between the two, but Tom Riddle Sr had returned to his hometown one day without his wife, saying that she had bewitched him. This had happened just a few months, before the boy in Evelyn's arms had been born.

The witch scowled at that, not impressed by the man's decision to leave his pregnant wife, bewitched or not. Just then, a goblin came in and said that the examination room was ready. Evelyn held her son tightly against her, as she and Gnartooth followed the goblin. Arriving there, Evelyn reluctantly put Tom on the stone slab and told him to stay very still, which he did. Evelyn was directed to a chair in the corner, where she could wait.

The goblin healer started to examine the child, the results appearing on a parchment nearby. At first, there was nothing wrong, but then the healer started to curse in their native language. Evelyn was out of the chair in a second, worried about her son. "What is it? What's wrong?" She asked in panic, starting to walk forward, but Gnartooth stopped her, his face serious. "It seems that your son was conceived, while one of his parents was under the influence of a love potion." He said. 

Evelyn looked down at him in confusion. "What does that mean?" She asked. Gnartooth didn't immediately reply. "It means that if we do not do something, your son will be unable to feel love of any kind." He finally said and Evelyn widened her eyes in shock. "But you can do something, right?" She asked, both uncertain and hopeful at the same time. Gnartooth nodded in answer.

"Yes, but it will not be easy and we need permission from our king. Although since your son is the presumably last descendant of an Ancient and Noble house, it might be a bit easier to get permission." He said, before allowing the worried mother to pick up her son and to follow him to the room from before, writing briefly on a parchment, before sending it on its way with another goblin, who returned a few minutes later with the king's reply. 

Gnartooth read it and nodded. "The king has granted his permission. A ritual room is being set up as we speak." He said and Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief. Several minutes later, yet another goblin led them to the ritual room and Evelyn had to put her son down again. One of the goblins, who would do the ritual, walked up to the witch with a glass vial. "We need a tear full of motherly love for this to work." He said. 

Evelyn concentrated and thought of all the moments that she and Tom would hopefully share. From him calling her "mum" for the first time to him getting his school letter. A tear rolled over her cheek and the goblin caught it in the vial. Nodding at the witch, the goblin walked to his colleagues, while Evelyn had to wait in a corner again. Three goblins, excluding Gnartooth, stood around the boy and began to chant. 

A dark glow began to shine around the boy and the goblins chanted even louder. The goblin that had approached Evelyn dropped the tear on Tom's body. There was a flash of light, before the glow began to brighten and finally disappeared. The goblins stopped their chanting and Tom, who had been very silent, started to cry as new feelings that he had never experienced, suddenly flooded through his body. 

"Mummy!" He called loudly. Evelyn looked at Gnartooth and the goblin nodded. The witch immediately ran towards her son and lifted him up into her arms, holding him tightly. "It's okay, Tom. Mummy's here now. It's alright. I'm here." She gently shushed him, stroking his hair. Tom buried his face in her shoulder, holding her as tightly as a three year old could. Evelyn thanked the goblins, who did the ritual, before following Gnartooth out of the room.

Back in the office, Gnartooth sighed deeply. "That was one of the hardest rituals that I have seen in my life, but at least your son will grow up happily and as normal as a boy can." He said, looking at Tom, who was slowly falling asleep in his mother's arms. Evelyn smiled and thanked the goblin, before standing up and taking her new son out of the office and the bank, already dreading the lecture that was waiting for her from Mippy

Arriving back home, the witch indeed got a lecture from the protective elf. Mippy finally stopped scolding her mistress, when she saw the sleeping boy in her arms. Evelyn simply smiled at the elf, before putting her son to bed in the room that Mippy had prepared for her newest master or mistress. Tucking him in, she kissed her new son on the head, before walking out to read his file from the orphanage, telling Mippy about what she already knew.

The elf gasped at the part about the love potion, seemingly knowing what this meant for the young boy. She sighed in relief at hearing about the ritual. Evelyn read the file from the orphanage. Apparently, Merope had arrived at the orphanage highly pregnant, had given birth there and named her son, before finally dying. _'At least she has a good reason for not staying with him.'_ Evelyn thought, still bitter about her son's biological father leaving him and his pregnant mother. While reading the file, Evelyn's mind flashed back to when she was just a bit older than her son was now. 

\------------------------------------

_Five year old Evelyn Brewster looked at the man in front of her in uncertainty. Having lived all your life in an orphanage without any family would do that to you. The man smiled gently at her. "Hello Evelyn. My name is Percival." He greeted softly, before saying that he wanted to adopt her. Evelyn looked at him in growing hope. She was going to have a family? Percival smiled again and softly stroked her hair._

_Making a decision, Evelyn raised her arms towards him and Percival picked her up with a smile. The young girl wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. Percival chuckled and stroked her hair again. "It's alright, Evelyn. Daddy's here now. It's alright. I'm here." He said, while carrying her out of the room and carefully apparating towards the manor, which would be their home._

_Arriving there, Evelyn's eyes almost fell out of their sockets at seeing the large house. Percival chuckled again and kissed her hair, before bringing her both into his home and into his life. That evening, Percival tucked her into her new bed. Evelyn smiled up at him and Percival smiled back at her. "Evelyn, if there's ever a day that we're apart, then there is something that you must remember for me." He said softly, knowing that he had a target on his back, since he was an auror._

_"What's that, daddy?" Evelyn asked, her eyes full of innocence. Percival tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, before answering. "I love you so much, my little dove. Even if we're apart, I will always be with you. Even if you can't see me, I'm right here. I will always be there for you and I will always protect you." He said, pointing at his daughter's heart, before softly tickling her and making her laugh. Evelyn smiled and promised, before falling asleep, feeling safe in her new father's presence._

_\----------------------------------------_

"Mistress?" Mippy's voice snapped Evelyn out of her thoughts and she touched her cheek to see that she was crying. Accepting a handkerchief from the worried house elf, Evelyn wiped her face and blew her nose. She stood up and gently ordered Mippy to start making lunch, while she woke Thomas up. The elf agreed, although she kept an eye on her mistress for the rest of the day. 

That night, Evelyn went to the balcony that was attached to her room and looked up at the night sky. She just realized what it truly meant to be a parent. She was responsible for someone else now. She wished that her father was there to give her advice and help her. She looked up at the stars. "You promised that you would always be there for me, but you're not. It's because of me. It's my fault." She whispered with tears in her eyes. 

If it hadn't been for her, then Grindelwald wouldn't have had an advantage over her father and he may have won from the dark wizard. Wiping her eyes and trying to calm herself down, Evelyn took a deep breath and looked up one more time, before going inside to go to sleep. On a tree nearby, a barn owl was watching her, before hooting loudly and flying off in the night sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about making this story be a crossover with the movie labyrinth. I loved that movie as a child
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	3. Royal help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn meets someone, who will change her life forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just really feeling a lot of inspiration, so here's another chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

It had been a few weeks, since Evelyn brought her new son home and the two were already close, with Mippy watching over them both. Evelyn found herself actually enjoying motherhood. She and Tom spent a lot of time together. Since it was summer vacation, it wasn't a problem. Evelyn had written to the headmaster of Hogwarts and he had given permission to take Tom with her, when school started again. Mippy would look after the toddler, when Evelyn was having classes.

One day, the goblins had sent a peculiar letter that said that their king wanted to speak with her and if she was willing to welcome him into her home. Evelyn had thought about it for a while and had agreed after talking with Mippy about it. The goblins had sent a date on which the king would visit and that was today. Mippy had made sure that both the house and her young master and mistress were looking clean and spotless. Evelyn was understandably nervous, but hoped that the king was polite. Gnartooth had come by as well to introduce the two

The clock rang three in the afternoon and there was a tapping sound at the kitchen window. Mother, son, goblin and elf looked up to see a barn owl flying outside, apparently wanting to get in. Evelyn walked towards the window, Tom in her arms and opened it, the owl immediately flying inside. "Well, make yourself at home." Evelyn said dryly, closing the window again. Gnartooth smirked at her tone. Evelyn took a step back at seeing the owl disappear in a cloud of glitter and a man reappearing in its place.

Gnartooth immediately bowed towards the man and Evelyn raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You are the goblin king?" She asked out loud. The man raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Did you expect something else?" He asked, his voice low. Evelyn sputtered for a second. "I thought that you would be... well.... a goblin." She said and the man chuckled. "That's what most people believe." He said in an amused tone. Seeing that his king wasn't angry at his client for her outburst, Gnartooth relaxed just slightly. 

They say down and the man introduced himself as Jareth. "I have to say that your situation is most unorthodox from what Gnartooth has told me." He said. Evelyn gave the goblin a dirty look. "I thought that Gringotts was all about privacy." She said and Jareth smirked. He liked this woman already. She was not afraid to speak her mind and he could appreciate that. "The goblins only tell me specific things and no one else." He assured her and saw her relax slightly at that.

After Mippy had taken Tom to bed for a nap, Jareth looked at the witch in front of him. "I think it is time that we go over to business. Lady Evelyn, are you aware that you have changed the future?" He asked. Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "I have? How?" She asked in return and Jareth smirked, before nodding towards the stairs. "That little boy upstairs. If you had let him stay there in the orphanage and let the effects of the love potion in his body, he would have become the next dark lord after Grindelwald." He explained. 

Evelyn immediately paled. She knew how dangerous Grindelwald was and to hear that her son would've replaced him was terrible. Jareth nodded, completely serious. "As the goblins have already told you: because of the love potion, Thomas would have been unable to feel any kind of love or friendship. Instead, he would have studied magic that is best left alone and would have spilt his own soul in several pieces." He said, having seen the prevented future in a dream. 

Evelyn saw a bit green at that information. Her father had once told her briefly about Horcruxes. He had said that those were some of the darkest magic imaginable and that they drove the people making them insane. Jareth let a small smile of sympathy show, before conjuring up a crystal ball and rolling it over the table towards Evelyn. The witch picked it up and saw something in the ball: a picture of a horrifying man with white skin, scarlet eyes and two snake-like slits where his nose was supposed to be.

Evelyn swallowed, before looking up at her guest. "This is my son, isn't it?" She asked and Jareth nodded solemnly. "That is what he would've become if nothing had happened." He said. He had ordered the goblins to find the child, who would become that monster, only to hear that someone had already found him. Now really green, Evelyn jumped from her chair." Excuse me." She said, before running towards the bathroom. 

Gnartooth shared a look with his king. "I honestly would have been surprised if she had reacted in any other way. The past few years have not been easy on her. Now, she has a new child to take care of and then we come in and say that her son could have become the next dark lord after she lost her family to the current dark lord." He said. Jareth nodded, looking in the direction that Evelyn had gone to.

He didn't know what, but there was something attracting him towards her. She was clearly a very strong and caring person, but he had seen a lot of strong people over the years, so why would she be any different? Just then, a slightly better looking Evelyn walked back in, having been given a potion from Mippy to help her. She sat down again and took a deep breath. "Am I going to need a bucket for the rest of the conversation?" She asked. 

Jareth shook his head and the witch sighed in relief. The king said that he just wanted to help Tom and keep an eye on him. "Not that I do not trust your ability to handle the situation." He said quickly at seeing Evelyn raised eyebrow. "However, from what I have seen, your son will be very powerful. I just want to help him harness those powers, before he accidentally hurts someone." He added.

Evelyn sighed, but eventually nodded in agreement. Jareth smiled at her and nodded back. Business concluded, he turned back into an owl and left. Gnartooth left as well and Evelyn hoped that she hadn't made a mistake. She sighed again, before going to pack her and Tom's things. School was nearly starting again and this time, Mippy would come along as well. 

 _A few months later_. 

Evelyn was grading some essays from her Slytherin 5th year class, when there was a familiar tapping sound at the window. Not even looking, Evelyn opened the window with magic. "You do realize that rumours will spread if students see an unfamiliar man standing in my office." She said and heard a familiar chuckle in response. Jareth had visited several times over the past few months to make Tom more comfortable around him and he was actually quite nice, once you got to know him

"I am here for just a moment to say that Grindelwald has left the city of Paris. It is unknown what he wanted from there, but he was not impersonating anyone." He said. Evelyn chuckled dryly. "Now, that's a relief." She said, just as more owls flew in, carrying letters. Evelyn groaned loudly at seeing them. "Not again." She said, as the owls dropped off their letters and flew off again.

Jareth raised an eyebrow and picked one up. "Now, what is this?" He asked out loud, playfully keeping it out of Evelyn's reach. Getting an idea, Evelyn crossed her arms and looked at him. "I would say: open it up and find out." She said. Jareth frowned suspiciously at her, before opening the letter. His eyebrow only raised higher at the barely hidden begging of whoever wrote the letter to Evelyn to go out with him. He looked at Evelyn, who simply shrugged.

"My family is an old one in America. Men think that I'm a stupid spoiled brat, who needs a rich man to keep her in check." She said, rolling her eyes. Jareth smiled mischievously. "Do you want me to write a letter back to scare them off? I already know what I can write." He said, before kneeling down beside Evelyn and starting to write on an empty piece of parchment, Evelyn looking over his shoulder

_"Dear sir,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health and in a prosperous position enough to have enough magic to help people like yourself, when you are out of luck. You see, that is my friend that you want to-"_

Evelyn reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him, giving him an unamused look, before getting up as it was almost time for dinner. Jareth smirked at her, before shrugging and standing up again. "It was just an idea. Now, I really have to go. I will see you soon, lady Evelyn." He greeted, before turning into an owl and flying out of the window. Evelyn took a deep breath and walked out of the room to go to dinner, trying to ignore how her heart was starting to speed up slightly whenever she saw him.

On her way to dinner, Mippy popped in with Tom. The little boy loved the castle, but he wasn't happy that his mother was away so often. Of course, his presence had fed the rumour mill at Hogwarts, but Evelyn had already announced that he was adopted and the boy not looking like her, supported that fact. Evelyn smiled and picked her son up, just as she entered the main hall and saw Albus Dumbledore standing with a group of people.

Just then, one of the students called her from behind. "Professor Graves, I have a question about our essay." The third year said and Evelyn turned around to answer his question, therefore not noticing how one person from the group looked at her in shock. Evelyn answered the question and sent the student on his way with a smile. She stiffened at hearing a slightly familiar voice calling her. "Evelyn? Is that you?" The female voice asked. Evelyn turned around and saw one of her father's old aurors. "Hello, miss Goldstein." She greeted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to push the events of the second movie a few years ahead, so Tina's group just came back from Paris
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.
> 
> P. S. I just had to put in a reference to "Hamilton". Did anyone catch it?


	4. Hauntings from the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn meets someone from her past

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

To say that Tina Goldstein was shocked would be an understatement. After Evelyn had disappeared several years ago, there had been quite a panic with the last Graves disappearing after the whole Grindelwald situation. The only comfort was the letter that she had left. And now, Tina was looking right at her, a teacher at Hogwarts and apparently, a mother. If only Queenie could've seen this...

Evelyn simply rolled her eyes and walked towards her. "Not now." She said in a soft tone, before continuing on to the great hall with her son. She sat down in her chair at the head table, Tom on her lap and started eating, making sure that her son ate healthy as well, despite the boy protesting that he didn't want vegetables. "Thomas, you have a choice: you either be a good boy and eat your vegetables or I will not read you a bedtime story tonight." She whispered. That was a threat that her father had always used on her and it had always worked. 

This time was no exception, as her son immediately was a lot more enthusiastic about his dinner, eating at least half of his vegetables. Evelyn smiled at him and stroked his hair. "Good job, sweetheart." She praised, making her son smile at her. Tina was simply watching this from her spot down the table and even Theseus was surprised. He had known that she was in the country, but had been asked not to say anything and he had agreed, but he hadn't known about her son. 

After dinner, Evelyn gave Tom to Mippy, telling her son that she had to have some boring grownup talk with Tina and that she would be back in time to tuck him in, before the elf popped away with him. With that out of the way, Evelyn silently motioned Tina to follow her to her office and the witch meekly complied. Both father and daughter had this authoritative air around them, which came in handy as an auror and a teacher. 

Sitting down at her desk, Evelyn leaned forward and folded her hands into each other and simply raised an eyebrow, looking so much like her father, despite not being blood related. Tina swallowed, before starting to tell her about what she had missed. Evelyn was surprised to hear about Queenie. If there was anyone that she hadn't expected to join Grindelwald, it would've been her. Tina also told her about how the aurors all felt guilty about not noticing how her father had been impersonated and surprisingly, Evelyn shrugged at that. 

"Grindelwald is a good actor, I expect. I'm actually more pissed about something else. I have read what aurors go though with their training and one of the points was recognising when someone is under the imperius curse." She said, giving Tina a pointed look and the woman bowed her head. "Your eyes have always been very light and he didn't let you come to MACUSA often. We didn't realise something was wrong." She replied, before looking at her in concern.

"Did he make you do anything else, while you he had you under that curse?" She asked carefully, wincing at seeing her stiffen and her face close off. "No. He just made sure that I didn't run to tell anyone. That's all. Now, if you'll exuse me, there is a three year old that I really have to tuck into his bed, before he throws a tantrum." She said, changing the subject, before standing up, nodding at Tina and leaving her office. Tina stayed behind, feeling incredibly guilty. 

Arriving at her quarters, Evelyn quickly had to bend down to pick up her wet, running son. "Hello, my darling. Has Mippy put you in the bath already?" She asked, despite already knowing the answer and her son nodded enthusiastically. Evelyn gave him a knowing look. "Did you try to run away?" She asked and Tom ducked his head. Mippy walked up to them. "Yes he did, mistress. Mippy caught him, before he managed to get out." She said and Evelyn didn't know if she should laugh or be embarrassed at the mental picture of her son running through the halls in his birthday suit.

"Well, I think that it is time we put this little running man to bed." She said, before doing so. Tucking her son into his bed, she read him a small bedtime story. Tom smiled at her. "Sing for me, mummy. Please?" He asked. Evelyn smiled at him. "Alright, but then it's off to sleep, understood?" She asked and her son nodded. Brushing his hair back, Evelyn slowly started to sing. It was a lullaby that her farther had sung for her and now she was singing it for her son 

_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light_

_I remember you said don't leave me here alone_

_But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down_

_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound_

_Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire_

_The war outside our door keeps raging on_

_Hold onto this lullaby even when the musics gone, gone_

_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down_

_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound_

_Just close your eyes, you'll be alright_

_Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound_

At the end of the song, Tom was fast asleep, clutching a stuffed, colourful snake. Evelyn smiled at him and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, my darling." She whispered, before carefully getting up from the bed and leaving the room. Looking over a few more essays, she decided to call it a night and went to bed after saying goodnight to Mippy. She laid down in bed and fell asleep almost immediately, but her sleep would not be restful tonight. 

 _Blood... pain... her father's screams... Grindelwald's insane smile... a green light.._ Evelyn's eyes shot open at feeling a pair of hands gently shaking her awake. Breathing deeply, she stared right into two mismatched eyes looking at her in concern. Quickly realising who it was, Evelyn let out a soft yelp and pulled the blankets up to her chin. "What on earth are you doing here?" She whispered.

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "I woke you up from a terrible nightmare and that is how you thank me?" He asked. Evelyn sighed deeply. "Thank you for waking me up. Now, what are you doing here?" She asked again. Satisfied, Jareth leaned back. "I checked in on you to see if you were alright and found you tossing and turning in your sleep. Are you alright?" He asked. Evelyn took a deep breath, hiding her face in her hands

"Grindelwald. He kept me under that terrible curse. He made me... watch him hurting dad, without being able to do anything. Sometimes, he forced me to hurt him with my own wand." She said, before starting to cry. "Grindelwald didn't kill my daddy. I did. I didn't want to, but he forced me. I'm sorry, daddy. I'm so sorry." She sobbed loudly, not even realising that Jareth was still in the room. The goblin king bit his lip, before carefully putting an arm around her. 

Evelyn kept crying until she fell asleep. Jareth kept holding her and slowly put her back down on the bed, but when he started to leave, he noticed that the witch had a tight grip on his clothing and he couldn't make her let go without waking her up again. Seeing no other option, Jareth laid down as well, hoping that the goblins could make the night without him. He closed his eyes and fell asleep as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read and review. See you next time.


	5. Waking up and knocking down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn wakes up to a slightly awkward situation

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Evelyn woke up feeling warmer and more comfortable than normal, but she didn't know why. It wasn't until she felt her "pillow" move underneath her, that she realised that she was lying on someone's chest and after remembering what happened last night, she could guess who that person was. Her face went red in embarrassment. She was sharing a bed with the goblin king of all people. 

She heard her bed companion chuckle. "Good morning, lady Evelyn. I do believe that breakfast starts in half an hour." He greeted. Evelyn sheepishly got off the bed wrapping a robe around her. "Thank you for last night, although you could've gone home." She said, walking into the bathroom with her clothes for the day, although she left the door open a smidge to hear her friend's response. 

"I could not, because a certain witch had a tight hold on my cape and to make her let go, would probably wake her up again." Jareth said. Evelyn popped her head around the door, smiling slightly. "Sorry about that." She apologised, but Jareth shook his head. "No need to apologise. That was actually the best night's rest that I have had in quite a while." He said. Evelyn smiled at that, before walking back out in her day clothing.

"Mistress. Is you awake? Yous gonna miss breakfast." Mippy said, walking into the room and stopping at seeing the goblin king in her mistress's bed. With her face as red as a fire engine, Evelyn quickly explained what had happened last night to the elf and to her confusion, Mippy looked concerned, relieved and disappointed at the same time. Jareth chuckled softly, before bidding the two of them goodbye, turning into an owl and flying away. 

Evelyn shook her head at feeling disappointment in her body. _'What's wrong with me? He's just here to help my son as he grows up. That's all.'_ She thought, although she did wonder why he visited so often if that was the case. She shook her head, before going to get her son and walking towards the great hall. It was Saturday, so she didn't have any classes, which made Tom very happy. At breakfast, she mostly ignored their new guests, not wanting to have anything to do with whatever they were planning.

She knew that they were trying to go after Grindelwald and she had more than enough of that bastard in her life. Besides, she had her son to think off. He was almost four years old and she didn't want to leave him motherless yet again. Tina gave her several looks and glances during breakfast, but Evelyn ignored her. She got flashbacks and nightmares from just talking with her once. She really didn't want to talk with her again.

At the end of breakfast, a familiar looking owl landed next to Evelyn's plate and showed her the letter tied around its leg. Evelyn gave it a look, but gently untied the letter. "Since when do you have an owl?" Albus asked, not having seen the animal before. Evelyn always did the rare mail that she got and sent out through the goblins. Evelyn shook her head. "It's the owl of a new acquaintance of mine, David Jones. I asked him to look into something for me." She quickly lied and Albus nodded, before turning to his group.

"He's quite handsome." One of Evelyn's other colleagues said and the witch bit her lip to prevent bursting out in laughter. _'You should see his other form.'_ She thought, before frowning and wondering where that thought had come from. Shaking her head, she focused on the letter. She actually had asked Gnartooth to look into something for her and now she finally had the answer

Her colleague was still fawning over Jareth, who was looking way too smug at the attention. "Careful. He might come into your room in the middle of the night without warning. Wouldn't be the first time." Evelyn said, smirking at the owl. The owl moved his head that obviously would've been a roll of his his eyes, had he been human or whatever he was. Still smirking, Evelyn wrote her gratitude and tied it around her friend's leg. Jareth hooted, before flying off. "What's that, mummy?" Tom asked, trying to look at the letter. Evelyn shook her head, tucking the letter into her pocket.

"Nothing that you have to be concerned about. I do have to do something tomorrow, so I will be gone for a couple of hours." She said. Already seeing the tears incoming, she quickly hushed her son. "You know what, sweetie? If you're a good boy in the few hours that I'm gone, we will go flying when I've returned." She offered. Tom looked up at her with large eyes.

"You really mean it?" He asked. He loved flying with his mother, but because she was so busy with teaching, they didn't do it often. Evelyn smiled at her son and nodded. Her son was immediately a lot happier after that and nodded. Evelyn smiled, before standing up and carrying her son towards her quarters. She had already asked and gotten permission from the headmaster to leave. 

The next day, Evelyn apparated close to a small village in her best No-Maj clothing, which were better than her English counterparts. She calmly walked into the town and was immediately watched by the inhabitants of the town. Clearly, they didn't have many visitors here. She just smiled and nodded politely at the nearest people, before continuing on her way. Soon enough, the people went on with their day and left her alone. 

It didn't take long, before a handsome, but arrogant man confidently walked up to her and started to flirt with her. Evelyn ignored him, until he got angry and said his name. "How dare you ignore me. Don't you know who I am? My name is Tom Riddle. My family owns this village." He fumed. Evelyn finally looked up at him. "Tom Riddle, you say? That's funny. My adoptive son has the same name." She said, holding her arm behind her back and slowly balling her hand into a fist. 

The man looked surprised at that. "Does he now?" He asked, sounding quite smug and Evelyn nodded. "Yes. Apparently, he was named after his father, who left his mother while she was pregnant." She said, giving Tom Sr a pointed look. Whispers immediately started up around them and the man in front of her paled. The witch smirked, before pulling her arm back and punching him in the face, knocking him to the ground. 

Satisfied, Evelyn turned around and started to walk away. She stopped in surprise, when the villagers started to applaud her. She turned towards them and bowed. Unfortunately, Tom Sr wasn't done with her. "You little witch!" He screamed. Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Careful. That attitude might get you killed someday." She replied calmly. Compared to Grindelwald, this man was nothing. Tom Sr growled. "You'll pay for that!" He shouted, advancing in her, but someone else grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks.

"I would not do that if I were you." A cold voice said. Tom Sr turned around to see two mismatched eyes looking at him threateningly. The man was slightly taller than him and was looking a bit stronger. The muggle was a spoiled brat, so whenever a conflict actually arrived, he fled with his tail between his legs. This time was absolutely no exception to that.

He ripped his arm out of the man's grasp and glared at them both. "Keep your wife under control." He growled, before turning around and storming away. Evelyn watched him go with cold eyes. The man had abandoned her son, before he had even been born. He didn't deserve to be in her son's life. Punching him had felt so good and she would make sure that her son would never meet the man in person, unless he really wanted to 

Jareth watched the man go with a smirk, before turning and walking towards Evelyn. He was wearing a normal looking suit and his hair was slicked back. Looking at him, you wouldn't even think that this man was the king of a magical species. Evelyn smiled at him and he offered his arm towards her, which she accepted. Under loud cheers, they walked out of the village with their arms linked. 

"You do know that your son's maternal uncle is living in a shack over the hill. Do you want to pay him a visit?" Jareth asked. Evelyn thought for a few seconds, before shaking her head. "No, thank you. I've been away from my son for long enough." She said, before stopping in her tracks and turning towards her companion. "Did that man actually think that we were husband and wife?" She asked. There was silence for a few seconds, before the air was filled with laughter that came from the witch and the king

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read and review. See you next time.


	6. Closing a chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn goes back to America to finally sort through her father's things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time skip ahead

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

_1934_

It had been five years since Evelyn had adopted her son and she could honestly say that she was very happy. Her son was growing stronger with help from her and Jareth. Oh, Jareth. Had that been a story. The two adults had become even closer, something pulling them closer. Evelyn had been very reluctant, thinking that as a king, Jareth deserved better than her. The goblin king had understood and kept his distance. It had gone well enough, until one afternoon during winter break. 

\------------------- _\------ flashback------------------_

_"Ugh." Evelyn growled, throwing a piece of paper into the burning fire. "I really do hope that I am not going to follow that paper's trail." Jareth's voice sounded from behind her. After several years, he had been allowed to teleport in at will, instead of flying into the room in his owl form. Evelyn startled slightly, before giving him a look. "You could at least give a warning when you pop in like that." She said, still in a bad mood. She was glad that her son was with the Malfoys_

_Jareth lifted his hands in a gesture of peace, before giving the burning fireplace a curious look. "Now then, what made you so angry that you had to throw that paper in the fireplace?" He asked, carefully sitting down next to her. Evelyn sighed deeply in frustration. "Just another marriage proposal. Normally, I have Mippy take care of it, but some people don't stop at that and keep asking. That one even implied that I couldn't be a good mother without a man in my life." She said, nodding at the burned letter and rolling her eyes._

_Jareth scowled as well. Evelyn was more than capable to take care of her son, thank you very much. He went to put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off and stood up, pacing the room. "As if I can't look after Thomas on my own. Oh, please." She muttered, before starting to mutter things in a low voice. Jareth stood up and walked closer to her. Evelyn didn't notice, until she literally collided with his chest._

_Blushing like crazy, Evelyn quickly looked up to apologize, just as Jareth looked down to see if she was alright. The result was that their faces were mere inches away from each other. They stayed like that for a few seconds. Neither of them knew who leaned further, but before they knew it, their lips met. Realising what she was doing after a few seconds, Evelyn quickly pulled back. "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have done that." She said, trying to walk away, but Jareth didn't let her go._

_"Why do you say that?" He asked, making Evelyn look up at him. "Jareth, you're a king. I'm just a simple witch." She said and her companion chuckled. "Correction: you are a witch that I have wanted to kiss for quite a while now." He said. Evelyn raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wait, what? Why did you never say anything?" She asked, forgetting about her words from just a few seconds ago._

_Jareth smiled dryly. "You seemed comfortable with just being friends and I would not force you to do anything that you are not comfortable with." He said, brushing her hair back. Evelyn leaned into his touch, finally smiling at him. "Thank you." Was all that she said. Jareth smiled at her and caressed her cheek. "You are very welcome. May I?" He asked. Evelyn simply nodded and he leaned down again._

_\----------------------- end flashback-----------------_

They were taking it slow _,_ as their situation was most unusual. They had told Gnartooth, Tom and Mippy and they were all very happy for them. Evelyn actually found herself to be more able to read the stupid proposal letters. She sent the reality ridiculous ones to Jareth, so that he could have a laugh too. One day, at the beginning of the summer vacation, Jareth popped in to see Evelyn packing stuff in suitcases. 

"Now, where are you going?" He asked. Evelyn had mostly stayed in England during summer. Evelyn gave him a look. "Tom wanted to see where I grew up and I think that it's time that I sort through my father's things. It has been almost eight years. I think that I'm ready." She said with a deep breath. Jareth gave her a concerned look, but didn't speak up. Evelyn appreciated that.

A few days later, Evelyn, Tom and Mippy were standing in front of the mansion, where Evelyn had lived during her childhood. They were about to go in, when a familiar owl landed on Evelyn's shoulder. The witch simply smiled at the owl and took a deep breath, before walking forwards. The wards immediately accepted her and her companions, their magic washing over Evelyn and it almost felt like greeting an old friend. The tour of the first floor went well enough. It was when they got to the second floor that things became a bit harder.

Evelyn showed them her old bedroom, nice and orderly like she had left it. When they came to the master bedroom, Evelyn paused with her hand on the doorknob, before taking a deep breath and opening it. This bedroom almost had as many memories as her actual bedroom. She always came here when she had a nightmare and her father would always be there to hold her and comfort her, which was why she had been coping so badly after Grindelwald. 

After giving the tour, they went back to the living room and Evelyn brought her father's things from the attic. Jareth flew from Evelyn's shoulder and transformed back, so that he could help if it was needed. "Merlin, grandpa had a lot of suits." Tom commented as Evelyn and Mippy took yet another suit and put it into a box to give it to someone else. Evelyn smiled at her son. "Well, he did have a important position. He couldn't exactly go to work in his pyjamas." She said with a laugh. Her son chuckled at that.

Just then, Tom found his grandfather's coat and tried it on, the sleeves and coat being far too big and long. Evelyn laughed at how cute her son looked, just as she found a scarf and wrapped it around Tom's neck. "There, now you really look like him." She said and Tom stood up straight in pride. Evelyn laughed again, but the laughter stopped, as she found something at the bottom of the current box. 

She reached into it and got out a slim, wooden box and opened it after a few seconds. A sleek, black wand with a silver band around the middle was lying in the box. Tom sat down next to her and looked at the wand. "Is that grandpa's?" He asked and Evelyn simply nodded with tears in her eyes. "The law states that the wand of a deceased auror has to go to the next of kin if that's possible." She explained, gently stroking the wand with her finger. Taking a deep breath, she put the wand down and said that she was going to the bathroom, before leaving the room.

She splashed water into her face and took several deep breaths, before straightening her back and starting to go back to the living room. Down the stairs, she couldn't help but look at a door, which was still closed. It was the door to the basement, where Grindelwald had kept her father prisoner. Even though she had a feeling that she really shouldn't, Evelyn slowly opened the door and walked down the stairs, using her wand for light. 

The basement was empty. There was no trace of the prison that it had been, but Evelyn still remembered the chains on the wall, suspending her father and leaving him to dangle. She remembered the smell of blood and piss that you could smell from the door. She slowly sank to her knees, remembering the day that Grindelwald had been caught. It had also been the last day that her father had been alive. 

_\------------------------ flashback ------------------------------_

_Grindelwald came down the stairs, a triumphant look on his face as he forced Evelyn to follow him via the imperius curse. "Good news, Percy. Credence has found the obscurus, which means that our time together is almost up." He said. The man hanging from the chains barely had enough strength to look up. "So, what are you going to do with us?" He asked, his voice weak and rough from dehydration._

_Grindelwald smirked. "Well, since you asked so nicely. I think it's time that the Male line of your family ended, don't you agree." He said. Percival glared at him. "So, you're going to kill me?" He asked sarcastically. Grindelwald's smirk got even bigger. "Oh, I'm not the one who's going to kill you, Percival." He said. The other man frowned, before his eyes widened. "No! Leave her be, you bastard! Don't make her do this!" He yelled to the best of his abilities, which wasn't much._

_Grindelwald let Evelyn walk forward. "Kill him." He ordered. Inside her mind, Evelyn had tried to fight the hold over her the entire time, but hearing the command made her fight harder then ever before. Seeing Evelyn struggle, Grindelwald simply tutted and put another layer of the curse in the young woman and gave the command again. Evelyn slowly raised her wand, arm trembling and tears in her eyes as she desperately fought against the curse._

_Percival seemed to realise that this was it and he looked at his daughter. "It's alright, Evelyn. It's not your fault. I love you so much. It's alright." He whispered, before a green light came out of Evelyn's wand and hit him. Grindelwald lifted the curse on Evelyn as soon as the killing curse had hit Percival and apparated out. Evelyn ran towards her father's body and used her magic to free him from the chains._

_"I'm sorry, daddy. I'm so sorry. I tried to fight it. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry. Please come back." She pleaded, clutching her father's body to her chest and sobbing. She stayed like that, until the aurors burst in. She looked up at them. If they had been here sooner, then her father would have lived. "Where were you?" She demanded and the aurors all lowered their heads. When asked later, Evelyn said that the imperius curse was lifted on Grindelwald's arrest and was left alone._

_\-------------------------- end flashback -----------------_

Evelyn felt a warm presence around her, just as there were footsteps on the stairs and someone wrapped their arms around her. "Sshh. It's alright, Evelyn. I'm here." Jareth whispered, just as Tom wrapped his arms around his mother too. "I'm also here, mummy." He said. Evelyn held the both of them tightly as she cried. Her father was gone, but she still had Jareth, Tom and Mippy. The next day, once she felt a bit better, they went further with sorting through Percival's things.

They mostly put his clothing in a box to give to other people or put it in storage, although Evelyn kept her father's favourite scarf and his wand. Once they were done with everything, they went back to England. Evelyn still didn't want to live in the mansion any longer than necessary, so they went back home and Evelyn closed the wards that were over the mansion again.

Jareth had to go back to his kingdom, but he would check up on them soon.That evening, Tom leaned against his mother, while they were sitting on the couch. Mippy was in the kitchen, cleaning some of the cupboards."You know, I think grandpa is still with us." He said, looking up at his mother. Evelyn smiled down him. "I think so too." She replied, before hugging her son. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be a time skip to Tom's Hogwarts years. 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	7. Back to Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom starts his education, makes a new friend and gets in trouble.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

 _1938_.

Evelyn was sitting at the head table, a certain owl on her shoulder. They were watching as a group of nervous first years stepped inside the great hall to be sorted. To her surprise, some of the new students looked like the had been about to cry, but looked a lot calmer now. Tom was standing halfway down the line, chatting with a shy, plump looking girl with giant glasses. "It seems that our son has made a new friend already." She whispered to the owl, who bobbed his head in response. 

Because Evelyn and Jareth were still seeing each other, Tom had slowly started to call him "dad," much to the king's surprise and hidden joy. He had helped Tom with his magic over the years and saw him as his own son. The sorting hat was pulled out and sang its song, before the first student was being called forward. It continued on, until "Graves, Thomas" was being called out.

Several of the older students, who already knew Tom from him living with Evelyn, leaned forward to see where he would be sorted. The sorting hat thought deeply for a few seconds, before loudly calling out "Slytherin!" Said house immediately greeted their newest snake warmly. Tom sat down and looked at Evelyn, who nodded in response, feeling incredibly proud of him. 

"It seems yesterday that I saw him standing in a corner in that orphanage and now, he's on his way to become a fully fledged wizard." Evelyn muttered. Albus, who was sitting next to her, rubbed her back in sympathy. After all these years, they still hadn't caught Grindelwald. Jareth had ordered the goblins to take him and his followers in by force, if they ever showed their face in one of the banks. Slowly, but surely, several witches and wizards disappeared, never to be seen again. 

While they had been talking, the girl that Tom had been talking to, was being called forward. Her name was Myrtle Warren, a muggleborn. She was sorted into Ravenclaw, sharing a uncertain look with Tom as she walked towards her table. Tom simply smiled at her and nodded encouragingly. The rest of the feast went on like normal and since it was Saturday, the students had one day off, before school truly began. 

The next day, Tom knocked on the door to his mother's office, a nervous Myrtle right next to him. "Hi, mum. I want you to meet my new friend, Myrtle." He said, sounding very happy to have made a new friend. Even though he didn't quite remember the orphanage, he remembered being lonely and having no friends, until Evelyn adopted him. Since the effects of the love potion were no longer working and having had Evelyn's motherly love for almost his entire life, Tom was able to feel love and friendship.

Evelyn smiled at the clearly nervous and shy girl. "Hello there, Myrtle." She greeted kindly. The girl smiled shyly. "Hello, professor Graves." She said in a soft tone, looking down at the ground. Evelyn simply chuckled. "Please call me Evelyn or Ms Graves if you must. I'm not a professor, until tomorrow. Do you want some tea?" She asked, having already some ready. Myrtle nodded and they spent the next hour getting to know each other, before Myrtle left to further unpack her things, closing the door behind her.

Evelyn smiled at her son. "Your ancestor must be practically rolling in his grave." She said with a laugh, having told Tom about his heritage after he had gotten his letter. Tom simply shrugged. "He's been dead for a thousand years. Besides, some girls were really mean to her on the train, so I offered her a spot in my compartment and left them out." He said, making his mother smile at him in pride. "That's my boy." She said, ruffling his hair. "Mum!" Tom protested, trying to put his hair back to normal.

Evelyn laughed. "I did notice that some first years were not looking as nervous as normal. "She commented. Tom looked a bit sheepish. "That's kinda my fault. Their nerves were going through the roof and they looked like they were almost ready to cry, until I told them what the sorting ceremony actually was." He answered. Evelyn smiled again. "You did good, sweetheart. Now go and unpack your things. Make sure that you're ready for your first day at classes." She said. Tom nodded and stood up, hugging her tightly, before leaving the room. 

The next day, Evelyn had the Slytherin and Ravenclaw first years in the afternoon. She had made herself invisible and wanted to see what the students would do, if they thought that the teacher wasn't there yet. Almost all of the students were on time, except for a couple of arrogant Slytherin students, whose parents had a lot of money and therefore thought that they could get away with anything. 

"Thank Merlin. Can you imagine the look on that witch's face if we were late." One or them muttered, ignoring the shocked looks that his fellow students gave him. Tom gave him a murderous look for insulting his mother. Evelyn used this distraction to silently walk over to the two latecomers, until she was right in front of them. She dropped the spell and smirked at seeing their surprised faces. 

"That "witch" has been here the entire time, Mr. Nott. Next time that I hear you insult someone in my classroom, I will be taking points. As it is: two points from Slytherin each for being late. Now, find your seats." She ordered and the students complied. Tom shared a look with Myrtle and smiled proudly. His mother was totally awesome. Evelyn walked towards the front of the class. 

"Now that we have that out of the way, let's start properly. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Evelyn Graves and I will be your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the next few years. I want you to know that I'm usually very easy to work with, but if you decide to mess around in my class, you will find me very unpleasant. I will not tolerate any foolishness. The Dark Arts are nothing to joke about. Am I absolutely clear about this?" She asked and everyone nodded.

She smiled to ease the tension. "Now, then. Can anyone tell me what spell I used to hide myself?" She asked to begin the lesson. The class went pretty well. Evelyn did get a few questions about her past and about her father, but not as many as when she first started. She had already told her son that she would treat him like anybody else in class and she kept that promise, much to the surprise of some. It was after class that things went wrong. One of the Slytherin students came running back in after all the students had left for dinner. 

"Professor Graves! Your son and Nott are fighting." He called. Evelyn immediately followed the student to where Tom and Nott were indeed fighting with each other. Students were standing around them, loudly cheering them on. Evelyn let out a firecracker with her wand, startling most students. The children immediately let her trough and she pulled the two boys apart.

"What's going on here?" She asked in a loud and strict voice. Tom immediately answered. "Mum, Nott called Myrtle the M word." He said. Evelyn raised an eyebrow and looked at Nott, who looked not ashamed at all. "Well, that is what she is. A good-for-nothing, ugly, mu-" Evelyn interrupted him, before he could say anything more. "Finish that sentence, Mr Nott and you will spend the first week of school in detention, including the weekend." She added at seeing the boy's unimpressed face.

Nott quickly paled at that. "You can't do that!" He protested. Evelyn simply gave him a look. "Then don't let me hear that word come out of your mouth ever again, understood?" She asked sternly. Nott reluctantly nodded. Evelyn turned towards her son, who immediately and instinctively cowered at seeing her face. "Mr Graves. See me after dinner. Five points from Slytherin for fighting." She said, before pushing the boys towards the great hall.

She saw Tom walking towards Myrtle, who had been watching in a corner with tears in her eyes. She sighed deeply, knowing that she would've done the same for her friends at school, but she also knew that she couldn't condone this behaviour. Nobody said that parenting wasn't hard. Once dinner was over, she went to her office to write some papers, patiently waiting for her son to show up. 

He meekly knocked on the door, a few minutes later. Evelyn silently pointed him towards a chair and he quickly obeyed, knowing this slight form of punishment already. His mother would continue writing or grading and the more he spoke up, the longer she would ignore him. He sat down in his chair, looking at his shoes. After a few minutes of silence, Evelyn put her quill down and looked at her son. 

"Thomas, you can not start a fight on your first day." She said gently. Tom simply looked down even more. Evelyn sighed again. "I understand that you want to help your friend, but if you react like this, you're just making it easier for Nott. The boy sees his bullying as a game and the more you fight him, the more fun he gets out of it. Just try to ignore him, alright?" She asked and Tom nodded in answer.

Evelyn looked stern for a bit more. "I'll let it go this time, but the next time that I see you fighting, you'll be grounded for the weekend, young man. Understood?" She asked and Tom nodded again. She smiled at her son and sent him on his way, before leaning back in her chair and taking a deep breath. " _Is our boy in trouble already?"_ Jareth's slightly distorted voice asked. Evelyn looked at the crystal ball that they used to communicate and saw his face in the ball.

"He is already protective of the girl from yesterday and won't take any insults directed at her." She replied and Jareth chuckled. _"Sounds just like his mother."_ He commented and Evelyn rolled her eyes. They talked for a bit, before Evelyn returned to writing the papers. A few days later, she found her son fighting again and sighed, but grounded him as she had threatened. Myrtle came to keep him company and Evelyn could already see a strong friendship between the two. She just hoped that it would last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I once again shifted the timelines a bit, so Myrtle starts in the same year as Tom.
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	8. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Tom's fifth year at Hogwarts and Evelyn is a bit worried

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Evelyn looked after her son in slight concern as he disappeared into the crowds visiting Diagon Alley for Christmas shopping. He had been acting odd ever since the beginning of the school year. She understood that he was almost fifteen years old and didn't need her as much anymore, but she still didn't like that he was keeping secrets from her. "He hasn't told you anything either?" She asked softly. 

"Nothing at all, love." Jareth replied, walking next to her and holding her hand. He had a glamour on himself, so he was looking like a normal human. They had decided to become slightly more public since he had proposed to her last Christmas. Evelyn still smiled at the memory of the normally calm and collected goblin king looking all nervous and kneeling in front of her. They would get married once Tom had finished his education. 

Several people were not agreeing with the match, mostly because it meant that Evelyn wasn't single anymore. They created a backstory with the help of the goblins. "David Jones" was a homeschooled muggle-born from a small village in Wales. Evelyn had met him on a vacation and they had started seeing each other. It was much simpler thran the truth. The goblins were also closing in on Grindelwald, catching more and more of his followers every day. 

Thomas had grown up quite a bit by now and several witches had tried to flirt with him, so much so that he had asked his mother for protection spells against love potions, not wanting to end up like his biological father. He now had the invisible Slytherin heir ring around his finger that warned him whenever there was something in his food or drink. Mippy kept an eye on things in the kitchen and Evelyn already had such a ring from America. 

"Hi professor Graves. Hi Mr. Jones." A cheerful voice said, snapping Evelyn out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a smiling Myrtle coming their way. At least one thing that hadn't changed over the years: Myrtle and Tom were still best friends. Tom also still got into trouble while defending her from bullies and had helped her to become more confident. Evelyn smiled at the girl. "Hello Myrtle. How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to call me professor while school is not in session?" She asked kindly. 

Myrtle looked down. "Sorry, Ms Graves. I always forget. I just wanted to ask if you and Tom are going on a special vacation." She said. Evelyn frowned in confusion. "Not that I know off." She said slowly, glancing at her fiance, who looked just as clueless. Myrtle frowned as well. "Oh. Because Tom asked professor Slughorn if he could have some empty potion vials for a rare ingredient. Professor Slughorn only agreed when Tom promised to give him some." She said. 

Evelyn thought for a minute, sitting down on a bench with her fiance and son's friend. "Did Tom tell you anything about this ingredient?" She asked. Myrtle pulled a face. "Only that it had something to do with the past and when I offered to go with him, he said that it was too dangerous and that only he could get it safely." She told her friend's mother. She felt bad about betraying Tom's trust, but she was worried about him too.

Evelyn thought again as did Jareth, but neither could come up with something. Just then, Tom returned and they quickly all went Christmas shopping together. Once they got home after saying goodbye to Myrtle, Tom went to hide the things that he had bought, Evelyn turned to Jareth. "Do you know what Myrtle was talking about?" She asked. Jareth softly bit his lip, but shook his head. "I have a feeling, but I am not certain. I think that it has something to do with his ancestor." He told her. 

She frowned in confusion. "What does Salazar Slytherin have to do with this?" She asked, glancing to see if her son was coming back down yet. Mippy was buying groceries for Christmas, so she wasn't home. Jareth sighed deeply and told her about the chamber of secrets, remembering that Evelyn hadn't grown up with these stories as she had been raised in America. Evelyn paled at hearing about the legendary monster. 

"What kind of creature lives that long?" Evelyn asked softly, before she heard her son coming down the stairs. They forgot about the subject for a while and simply enjoyed both Christmas and Tom's birthday together. Tom wanted to know where his parents came from, so Evelyn and Jareth reluctantly brought him to the small village. Apparently, people still remembered them from their last visit as they got a lot of smiles headed their way. 

Apparently, news spread fast as an elderly couple suddenly appeared about half an hour later and stormed over to the small family. "You dare to come back after you humiliated my son?!" The woman hissed. Evelyn calmly raised an eyebrow. "He seemed to do a good job of that on his own. He barely needed any help." She replied. Both Tom and Jareth snorted and they heard several villagers do the same. 

Looking at the furious couple, Evelyn continued. "Trust me when I say that I didn't want to return here either. However, your grandson wanted to know his roots and unlike your son, I actually do my best to give him a good childhood." She said, glancing at Tom. Seeing the couple's hateful gazes turn towards her son, Evelyn stepped in front of him. The woman lifted her upper lip in disgust, before glaring at Evelyn.

"That bastard is not my grandson. My son was bewitched by that tramp." She spat. Evelyn glared back at her. "Now, that's not nice to say about yourself." She replied with a smirk. Seeing that the villagers were openly laughing at them by now, the couple ordered the peculiar family to leave, before storming off like their son a few years before. The village cheered once again, but Evelyn was more concerned about her son. 

"Are you alright?" She whispered, wrapping an arm around him. Tom smiled at her, hugging her back. "I'm fine, mum. They're not my family. They made that very clear and I don't want them to be. I've got you, dad and even Mippy." He replied. Evelyn smiled and hugged him tightly. Jareth smiled at the two, before looking off into the distance, his magic telling him that there was something powerful there. 

Tom and Evelyn went home together, Jareth staying behind to "take care of some business" as he put it. Evelyn had sighed at that, slightly getting sick of all the secrets going on around her. Only Mippy had no secrets for her. _'Speak of the devil.'_ She thought as the house elf popped up next to her, a stack of letters in her hands. "What's that, mum?" Tom asked. Evelyn sighed deeply, not really wanting to do this now, but not wanting to keep secrets as well.

"They're marriage requests. For you." She said. Tom immediately looked up in surprise, never having thought about it. Even though no one knew about Tom's biological heritage, him being the heir to the Graves family was good enough for several families. Tom sat down and started to look through one of them. He immediately wrinkled his nose in disgust. "This one is for Olive Hornby. She always bullies Myrtle." He said, throwing it to the side. 

Evelyn simply smiled at her son, before turning back to the letters. Together, mother and son looked through the requests. It turned out that a lot of them had been bullying Myrtle, so Tom didn't want anything to do with them. He also wasn't really interested in some of the snobby, pureblood girls that had been fawning over him, making Evelyn laugh again as she pictured his ancestors rolling in their graves at his words. They decided to hold it off for now. They would look at it during the summer

Several days later, they returned to Hogwarts. Several girls immediately tried to catch Tom's attention, but he simply rolled his eyes and ignored them. This apparently didn't stop them as they tried again the next morning. Evelyn smiled at it, before reading the morning newspaper. She frowned at a small article in it, saying that the goblins were auctioning off basilisk venom. How did they get that?

Just as she was pondering it, Horace Slughorn called her name from beside her, catching her attention. "Please, thank your son for me. He gave me quite a precious ingredient." He said softly, showing her a vial with black substance in it. Evelyn took it from him and looked at it. "It must have cost quite a bit of money to get that basilisk venom." Horace continued, making Evelyn look back at him. 

The witch looked between the man and the vial, remembering Jareth telling her about the legendary monster of Slytherin. She took a deep breath and gave the vial back to her colleague. She then wrote a quick note to her son that told him to come to her office at the end of the day and sent it off towards him, before gathering her things standing up. "I'm going to prepare my lessons." She said.

Horace nodded and Evelyn left. She shared a look with her son as she walked out and saw him gulping, knowing that he was in trouble. Evelyn went through her day, a nagging worry in the back of her mind during the entire time. She had contacted Jareth, telling him to come as well. At the end of the day, Tom knocked on the door of her office, just as a certain owl flew into the room.

Evelyn gave her son an unamused look. "Thomas Graves. Do you want to explain how you managed to get basilisk venom?" She asked. Jareth quickly turned into his human form and gave his son the same look. Tom looked down sheepishly. "It's a long story." He muttered. Evelyn leaned back in her chair. "We've got all evening." She replied. Tom gulped again, before starting to tell them about what he had been up to in the past school year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the hiatus. I just had zero inspiration
> 
> Read and review. See you next time


	9. Basilisks and dates

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Evelyn slowly rubbed her temple once her son was done explaining, her hand holding the hand of her fiance. "Thomas, I'm not mad that you have discovered something of your heritage, but I am disappointed that you lied to us about it." She said and Tom looked down. "I'm sorry, mum, but i didn't want to take the risk of Irina killing you with her eyes." He said. Evelyn raised an eyebrow at her son.

"I'm going to put the fact that a giant basilisk is named Irina aside for a moment and focus on something else. Isn't there a spell that blocks her eyes from killing us and besides, your father isn't human." She said, glancing at Jareth. Tom made a face. "There is actually, but Irina said that the people that I want to protect must be in the same room as her and I didn't want to risk it." He explained.

Evelyn smiled a bit at that and sat down on the arm rest next to him. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her side. "I understand that you wanted to protect us, but you're still in trouble, young man." She said sternly. Tom rested her head on her chest like he did when he was small. "Yes, mum." He muttered. He didn't like it, but it was understandable. He had lied to her and she didn't tolerate that. 

The next evening after Evelyn got permission to let her son stay with her, Tom snuck into the girl's lavatory with his parents, Jareth in his owl form. Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know what you were doing in a girl's lavatory?" She asked and her son looked down. "Olive made Myrtle cry and she hid herself here. I spoke in parseltongue to cheer her up and a sink fell away. We quickly got out of there, but I came back later, because I was curious." He sheepishly explained. 

Evelyn pinched the bride of her nose. Only she, Mippy, Jareth and myrtle knew about Tom being able to speak to snakes. It had been quite a shock for her, the first time that he had done it. "And you didn't come to me, because..." She said, trailing off at the end. Tom looked up at her. "Because you've been so busy with the wedding and teaching and agreeing to help track down Grindelwald. I didn't want to stress you out even more" He replied.

Evelyn sighed, knowing that he had a point. A year ago, she had finally agreed to help take Grindelwald down as long as she didn't have actually hunt him down, having seen where that led to. She had been pretty stressed out, because of everything and she knew that this would have made her stress even more. Tom said something and the sink slowly fell away to reveal a very big pipe. 

Tom sat on the edge and after a nod from his mother, let himself fall into the pipe, treating it like a big slide. Once he gave the okay, Jareth turned into his human form and he and Evelyn followed him into the pipe, the sink closing behind them They landed a bit roughly on the skeletons of several small animals. "Ew." Evelyn muttered as Jareth helped her up. Tom led them to another room, where heaps of old snake skin was lying. 

Evelyn felt herself pale at the amount and size of the old skin, suddenly and truly realising that her son had been visiting a _basilisk_ of all things. They came to a closed door and Tom opened it with Parseltongue. "Mum, dad, welcome to the chamber of secrets." He said as they stepped into the next room. Evelyn looked around in awe. Even though it housed a dangerous beast, the chamber itself was quite an amazing sight

They walked to the end of the chamber, where a giant statue of Salazar Slytherin was carved into the wall. It as tall as the chamber itself. Evelyn craned her head to see the top. "Tom, your ancestor had massive ego issues." She muttered, making her son and fiance laugh. Tom turned to his parents and asked them to close their eyes. They did and Tom started to speak in Parseltongue.

The adults heard stone moving, followed by the sound of something large landing on the floor. There was a loud hissing sound, followed by Tom responding in the same language. There was some more hissing back and forth, until Tom spoke up in English. "Okay, Irina told me what to do and she says that it's safe now." He muttered, feeling nervous. Jareth opened his eyes and stared at the beast.

"Wow." He breathed, feeling more impressed than he had in a long time. Evelyn slowly opened her eyes as well. "You've been visiting this?" She asked in a shaky tone at seeing the gigantic serpent, grabbing Jareth's hand as her motherly instinct was going haywire. Tom smiled a bit sheepishly and nodded, before speaking with the serpent. The basilisk replied back and Tom let a grin show. "She wants to thank you for looking after me." He told his parents. 

Evelyn slightly perked up at this. "Oh, that's nice of her. Tell her that it was our pleasure." She said, mentally slapping herself for talking to a giant basilisk. They stayed there for a little while longer, before having to go back. Tom used his Parseltongue to create stairs, so that they could get out of wherever the chamber was. Jareth kissed Evelyn goodnight, ruffled Tom's hair and turned into a owl, flying out of the nearest window. "Do you have to do that when I'm around." Tom groaned.

Evelyn smiled and stuck out her tongue. "We're your parents, love. It's our job to make you feel uncomfortable." She said, laughing at her son's small glare. As Tom was allowed to stay in his mother's quarters, he quickly started to walk to his old room, but Evelyn called him back. "No more secrets, young man. Understood?" She asked sternly. Tom quickly  nodded and she sent him off to bed. Tomorrow was another school day.

A few days later, Tom almost stormed into his mother's office and flopped down on the couch. Myrtle followed him at a calmer peace, while Evelyn just watched them with a raised eyebrow. "Do I even want to know?" She asked, her son groaning in response. Myrtle smiled at her favourite professor. "Tom just got asked for the next weekend to Hogsmeade." She explained, her best friend letting out another groan. 

Tom lifted his head slightly to speak, knowing that his mother hated it if he didn't speak properly. "It wouldn't be so bad, if I didn't get an invitation every five minutes. I don't even know some of the girls that asked me and they always push Myrtle away and expect me to focus my attention on them, regardless of that we were in a conversation. You should've seen some of their clothing, mum." He said, shuddering. Evelyn chuckled at that, sitting down on the arm rest and caressing her son's hair.

"Oh, my poor baby. Why don't you go with Myrtle as friends like you always do? She admitted. She had seen how her son had started to glance at Myrtle when she wasn't looking and knew that there was only one girl with whom he wanted to go to Hogsmeade. Tom wasn't her innocent little boy anymore. He was starting to become his own man, having started to learn about laws as he wanted to go into politics later. 

Her son simply glared at her and she smiled teasingly at him, before there was a fast tapping sound on the window. They looked up and saw a familiar owl sitting outside, waiting impatiently to get in. Evelyn turned to her son and asked him to take Myrtle outside and go to the library. She didn't want the girl to discover their secret just yet, no matter how much she liked Myrtle.

He obeyed after giving her a confused look.  Once the teenagers were gone, Evelyn finally let the owl in. Jareth immediately flew in and quickly transformed. His expression was a mix of excited and worried. He quickly walked towards her and hugged her tightly. "Jareth? What's wrong?" She asked, pulling back a bit and looking at him. He smiled at her and caressed her cheek. "We got him." He breathed and Evelyn felt her heart stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read and review. See you next time.


	10. Getting closure

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Gellert Grindelwald glared at the goblins holding him captive. They had ambushed him, captured him and given him cuffs that blocked his magic. A small voice in his head was saying that this situation felt similar to something, but he ignored it. This was unfair. He was only trying to help witches and wizards. These wretched creatures are stopping him from achieving his goal. He had to get out of there, but how? 

He looked up as another man walked into the room. He had feathery, white blond hair and one pupil was larger than the other. The man smirked at him, showing inhuman teeth. Grindelwald had heard tales about the king if the goblins, but he had thought them to be just that: tales. Seeing the man in front of him, Grindelwald now knew better, but it was far too late for him. 

"I see that you have made yourself comfortable here." The king said, the goblins snickering at Grindelwald's misfortune. The wizard glared at him, not replying to his comment, not that Jareth cared. "Why does the Goblin King bother himself with someone like me?" Grindelwald asked in a short tone. Jareth simply smirked at him. "Personal reasons." He replied, just as someone else walked into the room. 

Grindelwald felt his eyes widen as he watched an older Evelyn Graves walk towards him. Gone was the naive, scared twenty year old girl, having been replaced by a strong, wise thirty-six year old woman. She went to stand next to the king and he wrapped an arm around her. Grindelwald felt his eyes widen even further, realising that he was screwed. Evelyn was clearly close to the king and there was no way that she wouldn't want revenge. 

Evelyn took deep breaths as she looked at the man, who had tormented her and tortured her father. The man, who had forced her to kill her only parent and only family at the time. She felt her fiance calmly stroke her side and give her a kiss on her temple, reminding her that she wasn't alone anymore and that he was with her. She took an extra deep breath, before looking at Grindelwald again.

He looked a lot more smaller and less intimidating now that he was the one in chains. She slowly stepped out of Jareth's arms and towards her former tormentor. The goblins all went on high alert, ready to protect their future queen. Standing in front of Grindelwald, Evelyn did nothing for a few seconds, before suddenly pulling her arm back and punching him in the face several times, breaking his nose and making several teeth fall out. 

Stopping her assault and taking deep breaths, Evelyn glared at the pathetic man. She slowly kneeled down and stared him right in the face. "How does it feel to be at someone else's mercy? To not know what they are going to do with you? To think that today could be your last? Because that's how it felt for me every day, when you held me and my father captive." She growled, before slowly standing up again. 

"But no more, you bastard. As long as I'm alive, you will never touch my family again." She vowed, taking a few steps back. Gnartooth carefully stepped forwards and addressed her. "What do you want us to do with him, your highness?" He asked. Since Evelyn was going to marry their king, they had started to call her by that title, to be replaced by "your majesty" after their wedding.

Evelyn looked down at the man. "Let him work in the mines. Give him the hardest jobs and make him do them without magic, but make sure that he doesn't die for at least eight years: one year for every month that he kept us captive. After that, he's all yours." She ordered. The goblins bowed and took him away. The mines were infamous for being dangerous and harsh, a perfect punishment for the dark wizard.

Before they left, Jareth put a spell on the man that would make him feel all the pain that he had inflicted on Percival Graves. The pain would never go way and would be there for the rest of his life, however long that was. Considering how angry his subjects were with the wizards, he expected the next eight years to be his very last. His attention was pulled by his fiancee starting to fall to the ground

Evelyn felt her legs tremble and she almost fell to the ground as her knees collapsed. Jareth quickly caught her and held her tightly against him. Evelyn's entire body trembled as she let everything out. Jareth stroked her hair and rocked her back-and-forth. "It's alright, my love. I'm here. He's gone for good. I'm so proud of you." He said, before conjuring up a small, cracked stone and giving it to her. 

Evelyn looked at it in confusion, before looking back up. "What is this?" She asked. Jareth smiled at her. "It's a present. I was actually going to give you this on our wedding day, but I think now is a better time. Close your eyes and turn it three times in your hand." He instructed. Evelyn frowned, but did so. She quickly felt a change in the room and opened her eyes. She felt tears welling up at seeing the man in front of her.

"Hello, my little dove." The spirit of Percival Graves greeted, kneeling in front of his daughter. Evelyn reached out to him, but her hand went straight through. Percival smiled at her. "You have been so brave and strong, sweetheart. I'm so proud of you." He whispered. Evelyn smiled at him, before her smile fell. "I'm sorry daddy. I couldn't stop him. I'm so sorry." She whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. Jareth wiped them away and this pulled Percival's attention, making the spirit turn to him.

"You better take good care of my little girl, your majesty." He said, making Jareth straighten up and nod. Evelyn smiled at the powerful goblin king listening to a spirit. Percival looked back at his daughter and smiled again. "It's alright, Evelyn. I forgive you. I love you so much, my little dove. Never forget what I told you on the day when I brought you home. I'll always be with you, sweetheart." He whispered, looking at her with so much love in his eyes. 

Evelyn nodded and died her best to smile, even though she felt her heart break once again. "I love you too, daddy. I'll never forget you. I promise." She vowed though her sobs. Percival smiled tearfully at his daughter, before leaning forwards and kissing her forehead. The only thing that Evelyn felt was a small gust of cold air against the place. She closed her eyes anyway and dropped the stone. 

When she opened her eyes, her father was gone. Jareth pulled her even closer as she sobbed her heart out. Even though it hurt, she had needed this. She finally got to say goodbye to her father and it felt so good. Jareth kissed the top of her head, rocking her back-and-forth until she had cried herself to sleep. Taking on the disguise of David Jones, Jareth grabbed the stone and lifted his fiancee up in his arms. 

He gave a few last orders to the goblins, before teleporting them to the gates of Hogwarts. Walking inside, he came across Albus. "Oh, Merlin's beard. Is she alright?" The man asked, worried about his colleague and friend. Jareth smiled and nodded. "She's just exhausted, that's all. Please send Thomas to her quarters." He suggested and Albus quickly nodded in reply, before the disguised king carried his fiancee to her rooms.

A few minutes later, worried Tom ran inside. "Is mom okay?" He immediately asked. Jareth smiled at his son and nodded. "She's alright. Today was a very emotionally exhausting day for her." He told him and Tom sighed in relief. Sitting down, Jareth told Tom what had happened in gringotts and showed him the resurrection stone, allowing him to use it temporarily to meet his biological mother and adoptive grandfather. 

When Evelyn woke up, she felt much better than before and did her work with a much lighter step. During the next Hogsmeade weekend, Tom finally asked Myrtle to be his girlfriend and she shyly accepted. Pretty much every teenage girl in Hogwarts was disappointed, but he couldn't care less. He loved Myrtle and he didn't want anyone else. Evelyn was so proud of her son and couldn't wait to see how their relationship would go

It didn't take long for the wizarding world to notice that Grindelwald was missing. They tried to find him, but failed. Deep in the mines of the goblins, the dark wizard worked day-in, day-out without almost any rest. The goblins were always watching him and if there was a harder task, they send him to do it. Once the eight years were over, he would be completely at their mercy and the ferocious creatures couldn't wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think two more chapters and this story will be over. 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


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